As president and CEO of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Derrick Hall talks a lot.

Depending on the day, he’s lecturing to a business group, speaking to marketing experts, rallying future leaders or fielding questions from the press. Other times, he’s pep-talking his staff.

But no matter whom he’s talking to, or what the topic is, Hall tells stories.

“With the players, I can get pretty funny and a little racy,” he said. “With businesspeople, it’s more focused on strategy, less off-the-wall.”

Hall talks about how he fumbled one of the most important job interviews of his life. He talks about how the groundskeepers at Disneyland inspire him. He talks about how he survived prostate cancer. He talks about how Tommy Lasorda is the greatest storyteller he’s ever met.

Hall gives the impression that there’s not one moment in his life that he couldn’t turn into a meaningful, funny or illuminating story.

Which is why The Arizona Republic has tapped him, along with former superstar Luis Gonzalez, General Manager Kevin Towers, broadcaster Bob Brenly and Diamondbacks beat writer Steve Gilbert for a special hour of live storytelling on Tuesday.

Immediately following the 1:10p.m. game at Salt River Fields near Scottsdale, the five men will congregate on top of the dugout along the third-base side to tell true, first-person stories about their lives in baseball.

The storytelling is included in the ticket price, and all ticket-holders will be invited to take a seat anywhere on that side of the stands. Concessions sales will continue, and beer sales will resume.

The afternoon is the latest installment of the Arizona Storytellers Project, an initiative The Republic launched to celebrate and share the stories of the people who make our state so distinct. This is the first time the event will partner with a sports team.

Hall learned the importance of telling a great story — one with a lesson, one that makes the listener feel something, one in which the teller isn’t the hero — by listening to his dad.

“My father was a great storyteller, and I used to mimic him,” Hall said. “I was a theatrical kid growing up, I did a lot of theater and speech and debate, and that’s really where I learned to polish it, though.”

At work, he tells the “story” of the Diamondbacks, the team’s mission, priorities and values. At home, he tells stories about what happened that day, when and where, and what it sounded and looked like.

“And now my kids do it, too,” Hall said. “They don’t just tell you about their days, they tell you a story about it. And it’s really great, really funny.”

To prepare for the afternoon, tellers worked on their stories with storytelling coaches.

Among the stories fans will hear: Hall will talk about how he very nearly went to West Point; Gonzalez will detail what it felt like to leave his family when going to college; and Gilbert will talk about the time he played basketball with Michael Jordan.

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